Donation is the usual activities of Dan on Foods Company. But we usually support locally at care centers for deaf and mentally handicapped children or blind people in Binh Duong province.

In the early days of December 2020, we have prepared our product to head to central Viet Nam, where the people have been suffering with difficult predicaments when the typhoon hit this place three times within two months and flood had swept away any small asset they may have had. Instead of simply sending our products we visited Central Viet Nam in person.

After an hour of flight, we landed at Chu Lai airport. We divided into two groups and got on the cars to head to the countryside districts. It took us two hours to get there.

Before I landed in this place, I just know about central of Vietnam via information and news reports about storms and typhoons that hit this land every year.

When we knew about the citizens who are living in this place are suffering after the typhoon and flood, many people don’t have cottages to live in, no food no water, we were determined to help and support them.

On the way to the countryside, we can saw marks of the flood on the top of bush, with dried uprooted trees on the ground.

When the cars were moving slowly pass some bridges over the river, it makes us nervous when we saw through the window of the car and found the bridge without handrails. Far away, we spotted some places with landslide marked with white plots amongst the green hills.

When we arrived at the Wards, many people were waiting for us to come. When they got our products, we can see their faces light up with joy. With regards to some of our products or nuts, this is the first time they enjoyed it in their life.

After we visited three Wards in the first day, our team prepared for the next day to visit other Wards. On the way back to the town, we heard of a school which doesn’t have food for children and is facing great difficulties retaining their students. We planned to visit the next day to check if we can help or support them in any capacity.

The following day on Sunday, we visited three Wards and gifted them our products, the weather changed quickly from drizzle to scorching sunlight.

Most of the citizens there are old people; they don’t have much work, and are living under dilapidated houses. This area is just suitable to plant acacia trees or cassavas to supply raw materials, not much manufacturing or work opportunities.

We know that donation or food supply is not a long term solution, just to support them during hard times. We hope that the government has policies in place to help this region develop to help the citizens improve their quality of life.

In the afternoon, we headed to the primary school. This was a Sunday, but they help to arrange the teachers and school director to come and meet us.

The small road ran alongside the Tra Khuc River, some position was cover by mud; we couldn’t pass without excavators help to sweep mud aside.

Finally, we arrived at the school, it has 8 classrooms, and one part of the roof was blown away by typhoon previously. On the wall we can still spot marks of flood that reached to the roof. In front, in the play yard, some big trees fell down and were uprooted off the ground.

After discussing with the teachers, who are close with the children and support them, we gifted the school a few hundred jars of Honey Almonds, love bars and Granola and came back to the town.

On the way back we were thinking of how we can help and come back this land again with support for the school and the young, disadvantaged children, to make them interested in study and come back to help improve their hometown and their people.

Nick Hoang